


The Butterfly Effect

by Flantastic



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies)
Genre: Boys In Love, Cats, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Frotting, Hair Washing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:16:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flantastic/pseuds/Flantastic
Summary: James and Q have been married for almost three years, more than enough time for them to know each other intimately.  Like an old fisherman who can gauge the weather using seaweed, James only has to look at his beloved’s hair to know what kind of mood he’s in and when he needs looking after.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Comments: 11
Kudos: 196





	The Butterfly Effect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soufflegirl91](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soufflegirl91/gifts).



> Written as a prize for the 007 Fest 2020. Soufflegirl91 asked for 'something fluffy'. I think this qualifies...

The day James met his future husband, his usually-tousled brown curls had been trimmed short. He could never admit to noticing that he’d fallen in love with Q that day, he was still feeling unwell, still feeling the effects of Moneypenny’s bullet and the three-month bender that had followed it, but even at that length the mop of barely-controlled waves had stuck in his memory. Q wasn’t his type, he’d thought. He was too innocent, he’d thought, too male. Too young and unblemished compared to the battered old agent. Although James had experience of both male and female lovers (and several variations thereof) he’d only ever really fallen in love with women. 

He’d left the National Gallery that day impressed by the younger man’s quick tongue but if you had intercepted him on the front steps of the building as he left and asked him for his opinion of Q, he might have used words like ‘scruffy’ and ‘skinny’ and ‘young’. Six months later those words might have changed to ‘clever’ and ‘funny’ and ‘loyal’ and two years after they first met, the day they married, those words would have become ‘brilliant’ and ‘beautiful’ and ‘mine’.

James seemed to be spending an increasing amount of time on missions in the Americas these days. Whether it was because there was genuinely more trouble going on over there these days or just M choosing to send James on the slightly easier missions in deference to his advanced (for a double-oh) years, he couldn’t tell. Either way, it was nice to get to spend so much time with his friend Felix Leiter, even if it did mean leaving the man he loved behind for weeks and sometimes months at a time.

~00Q~

James took a flight back to London which got him into Heathrow around eight o’clock in the evening and decided to go straight to Vauxhall to return his kit. That way he could take the following day off with Q without needing to report in. He’d already written his mission report on the flight and taken advantage of the plane’s WiFi to send an encoded version of it. Despite London’s notorious evening traffic doing its best to thwart him, he managed to pull into Vauxhall House’s underground carpark a little after nine.

He thought it would be a quick drop-off to one of Q’s staff before heading home to his husband so James was surprised to see Q still sitting at his workbench, pouring over a small device. James frowned. He knew that Q had been on the early shift that day which meant, by James’s reckoning, he’d been at work for well over fifteen hours. Q’s hair confirmed his suspicion.

James sometimes felt like an old fisherman foretelling the weather with his trusty old bunches of seaweed but instead of seaweed, James used Q’s hair and instead of the weather, he would gauge Q’s mood. Q’s hair was a tousled mess and unless James was very much mistaken, it meant that Q was absolutely exhausted.

He’d never actually told Q about his methods of divination, preferring to let Q think he had some miraculous psychic power to know exactly how Q was feeling at a glance. Like the times he’d come home to find Q with his fringe viciously twisted back off his face. He’d come to learn that Q did this when he was frustrated or annoyed by things not going his way. Or the way it almost went into soft, thick ringlets on the days off when he could finally relax, totally and completely, shuffling through the house all day in search of tea or snacks or cuddles from James. Or the time James had come back from a long and dangerous mission to find that Q had used James’s clippers to closely shave the whole lot off. He’d learned then how scared Q had been at the extended radio-silence that James had been forced into and had just lost patience with it. His hair had been the one thing he felt he could control.

James smiled as he approached the bench and saw that Q’s fringe was being haphazardly held back off his forehead by a hair clip adorned with a small pink metallic butterfly. It was encrusted with sparkling diamante and the little spring-mounted wings fluttered prettily every time Q moved. It told James that Eve and Billy’s daughter Kate must have come for a visit earlier that day. Kate tended to call into the building after school which meant the clip had been most likely been in Q’s hair since teatime. Q must have forgotten this so something had distracted him. As he approached the desk, Q remained focused on the device under the Mantis magnifier in front of him. James could see it was a palm-encoded Walther.

“Oh, come _on!_ ” Q muttered.

“Problems, sweetheart?”

Q flinched at James’s voice and his hand slipped, sending a tiny screw skittering across the workbench and onto the floor. James’s reactions, as quick as they ever were, enabled him to track its movement to halfway across the floor. He picked it up and held it out to Q. 

“Fancy a screw?”

Q’s mouth quirked into a smile.

“You’re early.” He said, taking it off him.

“No.” James replied. “Actually, I’m two hours late.” He walked around the desk. “And you’ve been working for how long? Fourteen hours? Fifteen?”

Q shrugged noncommittally.

“We’ve been busy. 003 was suddenly dispatched onto a mission, 006’s luggage went missing on his flight to Belarus and everything in his kit needed replacing and 002’s…”

“What did you have for lunch?” James interjected.

“R bought me a sandwich.”

“A chicken and salad sandwich from Marks and Sparks?” James asked. “The one that I can see three-quarters of sitting on the side of your desk?”

Q at least had the good grace to look embarrassed at that.

“I…”

“Tom.” James said softly, perching himself on the edge of Q’s desk, deliberately blocking most of his light. “We’ve talked about this. You need to eat. I know you’re busy but you need to take care of yourself. I don’t want to worry about you every time I’m out in the field. I can’t afford to be distracted like that.”

Q sat back and lowered his head.

“I know. I just get so consumed by what I’m doing.”

“I get that, I really do. I married an obsessive little nerd who can disappear into a world of his own at the drop of a hat, I know it only too well, but please darling. I don’t want you back in Medical again just because you forget to eat.”

Q started to look upset and he nodded. They’d had this conversation so many times before.

“Come here.” James said. He held his hand out to Q and Q took it, standing and stepping in close so James could wrap his arms around him. “I don’t mean to be an arse and I certainly don’t want to nag you when I haven’t seen you for so long but I worry about you. I love you so much…”

“I’m know. I’m sorry darling. I’ll try to do better. I know it drives you mad.”

He kissed the side of Q’s neck and smiled as he inhaled the warm scent of Q’s hair.

“It’s OK and I’m not mad. How can I be mad at you when you’re so pretty?”

He leaned back and touched his finger to the sparkling butterfly and Q laughed.

“Oh God, I’m still wearing Katy’s clip, aren’t I? 

“You are and you look gorgeous.”

“She put it in for me. Said my fringe was too long.” James kissed him and sighed as Q leant into him, leaning his head against James’s shoulder as he groaned. “I was on a Zoom call with M an hour ago. I wondered why he kept smirking at me…”

James barked out a laugh, chuckling as Q suddenly dug his fingers into his ribs.

“You’re a bastard. You should be more sympathetic…”

“Oh, I am. Very sympathetic. Completely sympathetic…” He trailed off as he began to pepper Q’s cheek with soft kisses. “So sympathetic.” He pulled him into a hug and Q shuffled forwards until he was standing between James’s feet.

“I’ll bet.” Q yawned and slumped into James until his husband was all but holding him up. “I’m tired.” He admitted. “I didn’t sleep at all well last night…”

“And you’ve been busy all day.” James said. “Should I get you out of here and take care of you baby? Would you like that?”

Q nodded and James smiled. He adored Q’s fierce nature, he wasn’t sure he’d have ever fallen in love with him so completely if he’d been a pushover, but sometimes, just sometimes, all his ferocity seemed to drain away and James was left with this quiet, soft boy. It brought out James’s protective side to know that Q relied on him to make everything alright.

James kissed him one last time.

“Shut down all your equipment then and get your coat.”

Q did as he was told, moving slowly around the workshop as he turned off all the lights and equipment. He shut down his laptop last and placed it into his satchel before taking his coat off the rack in the corner. Instead of putting it on, he handed it to James, who shook it out and held it up to allow Q to slip his arms into it. He then turned and James realised he was waiting for James to zip it up for him. He did so, making a point of smoothing it into position around his shoulders. It wasn’t necessary but Q smiled at the symbolism. He could relax now; James was in charge and he was going to make everything alright.

Q might have expected James to take him straight home but he hadn’t eaten so instead James drove him to a road a block away from Leicester Square before leading him to a small, narrow café in a dark side alley. The Big Plate Café had been there for as long as James could remember and had been owned by the same Italian family for the previous ten years. James ushered Q in and was greeted by the owner.

“Hey, if it isn’t my favourite customers!”

James smiled. Valentino greeted every customer exactly the same way.

“Hi Vale. Can you fit us in?”

“Of course! The post theatre rush won’t be with us for another hour. You can eat quick, right?”

“It depends how quickly you can cook.” James replied.

Valentino laughed at that and led them to a table tucked away in the back.

“Do you want you to order right away or are you going to pretend to look at the menu before you ask for your usual?”

Instead of answering him, James turned to Q.

“What do you think sweetheart?”

Q tucked himself into bench seat facing the room and shuffled over as James sat next to him.

“The eggs sound good.”

James nodded.

“Two Eggs Royale, a tea and a flat white please.”

The owner shook his head in mock-annoyance and walked off. James knew it was all an act though. It was true that the Eggs Royale were usually what they ordered but then so did a lot of the cafe’s patrons. They were the best-kept secret in London’s West End.

Valentino’s daughter Carmella brought their drinks over after five minutes, followed five minutes after that by the man himself bearing two loaded plates. Each had two halves of a large, homemade muffin, eggs benedict, spinach and topped with smoked salmon. Two large hash browns finished off each meal. James watched as Q dug into his with gusto. He was glad. Sometimes Q got so hungry he lost his appetite and it frustrated James to see him pick at his food when he so obviously needed it. That was why he’d brought him to one of his favourite places to have one of his favourite meals.

James had to admit, the food was good and they sat in silence as they each ploughed through their meals. James finished first and sat back sipping his coffee as he watched Q clear his plate. When he’d eaten every last scrap of it, Q picked up his tea and cradled it in his hands. He glanced up at James and smiled, his shoulders wiggling the way they did when something made him happy.

“What?” James asked.

“Nothing. It’s just, I like it when you’re like this…” Q said.

“Like what?”

“Loving. Soft for me.”

James leaned in and whispered into Q’s ear.

“I thought you like it when I got hard for you?”

Q smirked, nudging James with his elbow.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do. I just can’t help it when you are just so. Damn. Pretty.” James replied, glancing up.

Q blushed.

“Oh fuck. It’s still in my hair, isn’t it?”

He reached up to take it out but James caught up his hand.

“Leave it.” James said, turning Q’s hand so he could kiss the back of his fingers. “I’m starting to like it.”

“How did we ever get to be like this James?”

Q’s question confused him.

“What do you mean?”

“When I first met you, I thought you were an arrogant tool.” Q said quietly. “But I was attracted to you physically, so when I read your file, your profile, and found out that you were bisexual and had a penchant for casual sex I thought it might be fun for us to spend a couple of nights together. I never imagined this though… not us together like this… five years later…”

“I fell in love with you.” James said simply. “I think I must have fallen in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you. I knew I wanted to be with you from the moment I saw you.”

Q smiled.

“I just never expected it…”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think I’d ever been loved before. Not properly. Not like this. Previous boyfriends… lovers… they always got annoyed if I overdid it at work. Shouted at me if I lost track of time or got offended if I pulled an all-nighter. Given me a hard time if I forgot to look after myself. You just seem to want to take care of me…”

“Because I love you.” James interjected. “You’re right. You do make me soft because I know with you, I can be soft. I can adore you and you won’t use that against me. You have a way of opening up to me… baby, I don’t think I can explain it but I spend so much of my professional life being hard… cruel, even… it’s a joy to come home and for you to let me love you.”

Q leaned in and James kissed him, letting go of his hand to cup his jaw. He felt Q smile which made him smile too…

“Are you two going to order pudding or just sit there kissing like a couple of teenagers?” A voice demanded. James looked up to see Valentino looming over them.

“What do you think darling? Do you want something sweet? Treacle tart? Sticky toffee pudding?” James asked, listing some of the traditional British puddings that the café offered. “How about some of Vale’s famous Spotted Dick?”

“No, thank you.” Q replied so James just asked for the bill. When the owner had walked away it was Q’s turn to whisper. “The only ‘dick’ I want tonight is yours darling.”

“I think that can be arranged.” James whispered back.

James held Q’s hand all the way back to the car. They chatted about inconsequential things on the journey home until Q fell silent. James glanced over to see his eyes had closed and his head had lolled to one side. He was dozing, the effects of his long day and their fine meal lulling him to sleep. Their house in Chelsea was unusual in that it had off-road parking and Q roused when James put the car in reverse and backed onto their driveway. 

“Are we home?” He mumbled as James remotely activated the sturdy metal gates at the front of the property and they rumbled into position in front of them. “I must have dozed off. Fuck.”

“You did.” James replied, getting out of the car. He walked around in time to help Q as he struggled out of his seat, trying to untangle his satchel’s long strap from around his legs. When he finally managed to stand, James took the bag from him. “Come on sleepy, let’s get you into bed.”

Q shuffled into the house after him and yawned, reaching down distractedly to stroke the heads of their two cats, Turing and Pammy, who had immediately run to greet him. They both meowed loudly, almost as if Q had forgotten to fill their automated food bowls that morning and they had spent the whole day slowly starving to death. 

“I need a shower before that…”

“OK. I’ll sort out the freeloaders and give them their suppers. Do want me to make you a cup of tea while I’m in the kitchen or do you need a hand in the shower?”

Q shrugged off his coat and let James hang it up on the hall stand.

“I would like a cup of tea,” he said, slipping his hands around James’s waist, “but I would also rather like you to come and wash my hair for me.”

James frowned.

“Oh really?” He said with mock-irritation. “Well, I believe my question indicated an either/or scenario…”

“Oh, I see.” Q replied, his eyes widening as he grinned. “In that case I would like a nice cup of tea and I’m sure I can manage to get naked and wet and soapy all on my own…”

James growled.

“That sounds like you’re tempting me in order to get your own way. Are you tempting me, Mr Bond?” James leant over to lick the side of Q’s neck and delighted at the giggle it earned him. He wrapped his arms around him and gripped one of his small but perfectly formed buttocks. “You monkey. That’s coercion. Alright. Off you go and I’ll be up in a minute.”

“Mmmm. I like the sound of that.” Q whispered. “You being ‘up’.”

“Tart.” James grinned. He lightly slapped the buttock he’d been groping. “Hurry up then or I might just have my wicked way with you here in the hallway and that will really annoy the cats....”

Q kissed his cheek and went upstairs. A few minutes later after cleaning litter trays and serving up two bowls of food while the kettle boiled, James followed him with two mugs of decaffeinated tea. He put them on their bedside tables and then stripped off his clothes before going into the bathroom. Q was already in the shower, standing with his head bowed so the torrent could massage the back of his neck. James cleaned his teeth, picking up the butterfly clip that Q had left on the edge of the sink. He turned it over in his hand, watching the way it glittered as he brushed. He chuckled. Only Q would have forgotten he was wearing it. Twice. He put it back where he’d found it and when he was finished, he turned and stepped into the large stall behind him. 

“Tom.” He lightly touched his hips as he spoke his name. Q flinched and then immediately leaned back. He was warm, pressed up the length of James’s body. He wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled into the side of his neck. “Hey baby…”

Q turned around and James took a moment to squeeze a glob of shampoo into his hand. He smeared it between his palms before massaging it into Q’s hair. Q practically purred, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he gripped James’s hips and stepped forward until he was pressed up against him again. James kissed his throat lightly and sighed. God, he loved this. He loved it when Q let him wash his hair for him.

“It’s getting long again.” He said.

“Mmmm.”

Q bucked his hips, slowly rubbing his erection up James’s hip.

“That wasn’t what I meant…” He said but when Q went to move away, James caught the back of his waist and held him where he was. “I’m not complaining.”

Q huffed out a quiet laugh as James resumed massaging the suds into his hair. His hips began to move rhythmically. James took half a step forward, shifting his stance so that Q’s cock slipped into the crease of his thigh.

“Ooh yes…” Q sighed.

James reached up to move the shower head so the spray could start to rinse Q’s hair. He watched as Q frowned, biting his lip as the bubbles ran down his body and between them. James kissed his throat again before picking up his shower gel and trickling some of it down his own chest. It was caught up by the water and followed the remains of the shampoo. Q’s eyes snapped open as he felt the slick mess reach his cock, coating it and easing the friction.

“ _Oh God…”_ He whispered. His head fell forward until his forehead was resting on James’s shoulder. James kept his fingers tangled in the back of his hair while the other hand slid down Q’s back, pressing onto the base of it, encouraging his movements. James kissed his wet curls and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Q’s hard cock. It wasn’t usual for Q to want sex in the shower. They showered together and washed each other regularly and it very often led to them making love but that was usually done in bed, after they had both dried off. Q always said that he didn’t like the way the water made everything slippery underfoot or how it sometimes lessened the effect of the lube, leaving him sore even after the gentlest of fucks. 

Now though, Q was quiet save for a near-silent whine of pleasure with every stroke. James wondered what it was that had made Q want this now? Perhaps he was more stressed than James had noticed and this was his way of blowing off some steam, of feeling like he was taking control of something. James felt himself harden – there was no way he wouldn’t with his naked husband in such close proximity - but he knew he wouldn’t come. The angle was all wrong for him and there wasn’t enough friction but for Q, rutting against James’s hip, it must have been perfect and this moment was all about Q.

He kissed his shoulder and slid his hand down over his back until he could grip Q’s buttock, encouraging him to speed up the rhythm of his undulating hips when he felt him start to falter.

“That’s it.” James said. “keep going. Are you going to come for me?”

“Oh yes.” Q gasped. “Oh please… Just like this… I’m so close…”

James tilted Q’s face up until he was looking at him.

“Wouldn’t you rather I took you to bed and made you come by making love to you?”

Q whimpered and shook his head, burying his face into the side of James’s neck once more. James held him tightly, marvelling at the juxtaposition of need and trust, the desperate jerking of Q’s hips so at odds with the almost innocent way he allowed James to envelope him in his arms, and hold him securely.

“Come on then,” James murmured, “come for me sweetheart.”

Q seemed to freeze, shuddering and bucking his hips before dragging himself away and grabbing himself, rapidly stroking himself to completion. James watched, his arm still wrapped around Q, supporting him as he came, covering James’s belly. 

“I will never get tired of seeing you lose control like that.” James said softly. He reached out and took Q’s hand, lifting it to his lips and licking the tips of his fingers before drawing two of them into his mouth. “I will never get tired of tasting you either…” He let Q lower his hand but stopped him when he tried to touch James’s cock. “No… don’t.”

“You didn’t come.” Q said.

“No but this isn’t about me.” James replied. “Not tonight.” He grabbed a washcloth off the shower caddy and soaked it before wiping Q down. “It’s all about you, and me taking care of you.” Q hummed contentedly, slinging both arms around James’s neck as James added shower gel to the cloth to wash Q properly.

“I’m a lucky boy.” He said.

“You are. Extremely lucky.” James agreed. “An extremely lucky boy who will most likely be getting the mother of all shaggings, but not now. Right now, you need to sleep. We’ll discuss this again first thing tomorrow morning though…”

They finished up, each making sure that they were clean and free of soap, before shutting off the shower. James led Q out of the stall and onto the bathmat where he towelled him off. As he patted the drips out of his hair he smiled.

“I need to take you to my barber.”

“I can sort it out.” Q said.

“Oh no.” James insisted. “Last time you did that you ended up with a buzzcut. I love these curls too much to let you do that to me again.”

Q laughed.

“You love my curls?”

“Mmmm. Along with the rest of you. You should leave it longer and then I could get you a whole collection of pretty butterfly clips to adorn it…”

Q jabbed his ribs playfully.

“You’re taking the piss now!”

“Me? Take the piss?” James exclaimed. “How dare you?!”

“Oh, fuck off.” Q retorted, laughing. “Now, there had better be a cup of tea waiting for me in the bedroom or someone’s going to be sleeping on the sofa…” He threw the towel he’d been holding into James’s face and walked into the bedroom. James paused to hang it up before following him. 

He entered to see Q putting on a pair of pyjamas. James went to his own chest of drawers to put on a pair of pyjama trousers. He got too hot if he wore a full set. Q got into his side of the bed, carefully easing in under Turing, who had claimed his usual spot on Q’s side, and immediately picked up his mug to take a sip.

“Ooh, that’s just right.” He said appreciatively.

“I take it I’m not banished to the lounge then?” James asked as he got in beside Q. 

“Not just yet.” Q replied. He reached over and picked up a book from the pile on his bedside table.

“I thought you were tired?” James asked.

“Just five minutes.” Q said. “Crowley and Aziraphale have just realised they’ve lost the Antichrist…”

James smiled and picked up his tablet, opening the BBC News app. Q must have read Good Omens a dozen times or more but he’d told James when they first got together that he found re-reading his favourites comforting. James settled back, scrolling through some of the news stories that he might have missed while he’d been in America. He kept sneaking glances at Q though. There was a time when his sole aim upon getting him into bed was to make him come as many times as his refractory period would allow before he exhausted him but now? Now his overwhelming desire was to see Q happy. Whether that was through sex or like this, through relaxation and comfort, James found he didn’t care anymore. What mattered was that Q was content and that James had contributed to that contentment.

They sat in comfortable silence for almost half an hour before James spotted Q’s head lolling, the empty mug in his hand tilting. He put down his tablet and then reached over to take the mug away. Q roused when he felt it move.

“Wazzit?”

“You’re dozing off sweetheart. Come on, time for sleep.”

Q immediately put down the book and turned off his bedside lamp.

“OK.”

He laid down and James did the same but he hesitated for a moment, leaving his light on.

“Are you alright darling?” He asked.

“Mmmm,” came Q’s muffled response from beneath the duvet and the cat, “tired.”

“That’s why we’re having an early night.” James said gently, “but no, that’s not what I meant.” Q opened his eyes at that. “Something’s on your mind, I can tell.”

“It’s nothing.” Q replied. “Really.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“It’s just…” Q said, pushing away the duvet a little, “when we first got together, it was a no-nonsense thing. We met up, we fucked, we went out to dinner and the next thing we knew we were disgustingly happy and married and we’d bought a house and got two cats and… oh, I don’t know.” He hesitated. “It’s just that recently I’m not sure I’m coping as well as I used to with you going out into the field which is ridiculous because you were an agent long before I met you and I’ve no right to ask you to give up your job just because I’ve been getting stressed every time you go away and…”

“Thomas.”

James’s quiet use of Q’s given name stopped him mid-flow.

“You do know that you can ask me anything, don’t you?”

Q looked confused for several seconds and then realised what James was suggesting. It was testament to his tiredness that it took so long.

“What would you say if I did ask you to retire?” he asked quietly.

“I would probably agree that it’s long overdue.” James replied.

“Huh.”

Q snuggled down again which James took as his cue to turn off the remaining light. He laid down and reached out on the darkness, touching Q’s shoulder to encourage him to shuffle into his arms. He felt Q’s slow sigh of relaxation against his chest as Pammy jumped up onto the bed and proceeded to curl up into the back of James’s knees to begin her nightly habit of trying to hog three-quarters of the bed.

“I’ll probably ask you tomorrow...” Q mumbled.

“I look forward to it.” James whispered, kissing Q’s forehead and settling down to sleep.


End file.
